4 people killed in northern Arizona plane crash

PAULDEN, Ariz. — Authorities said four people were killed when a small plane crashed near the northern Arizona town of Paulden.

Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Dwight D’Evelyn said the plane that
went down about 12:40 p.m. Friday.

Federal Aviation Administration officials said the Cessna 340 was flying from
Bullhead City in northwestern Arizona to an unknown destination when it crashed
near the Gunsite Ranch shooting range west of Paulden.

Saturday evening, the sheriff’s office tentatively identified the four victims as James Parrish, 57; his wife, Lisa Parrish, 54; Mike Hughes, 65, and his wife Joy Hughes, 63. The Parrishes were residents of Terrell, Texas, and the Hughes couple lived in Paulden as well as in Aurora, Colo.

Phoenix television station KPHO said a witness to the crash reported seeing a
large ball of fire after the plane hit the ground.

Another witness said the plane may have struck a radio tower.

A spokesman for the Chino Valley Fire District said emergency crews put out the
fire

The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the cause of
the crash.

The Associated Press and KTAR’s Martha Maurer contributed to this report.